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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Chocolate and Black Bean Chili

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Ethnic cooking presents some challenges for smaller families. Most recipes appear to be scaled to feed armies rather than the two or three people who typically break bread at the table. Chili, a food, I love, is one of them. Several years ago I came across a recipe for Chocolate Chili Con Carne developed by Michael Chiarello for the Food Network. It sounded delicious, but it made way to much food for two of us eat and still enjoy. I've altered the recipe to make fewer servings and changed the spicing slightly. This is a nice chili, but there are certain elements of the recipe that shouldn't be changed. Masa harina, Mexican corn flour, is used to thicken the chili and if you're looking for an authentic Mexican flavor it is a must. A small quantity of Manteca, lard, is also used. Don't worry too much about the type of beer to use in the recipe. I've settled on a non-alcoholic amber ale that adds flavor without bitterness to the chili. The finished sauce, which contains chocolate, is a bit like a mole. This has been well-received whenever I serve it, though I suspect the play of flavors might be too much for kids. If you're looking for a new chili, or just want to experiment, you might like to give this a try before game day. Here's the recipe.

Directions:1) Place diced chuck in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1 tablespoon chili powder. Mix well. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons masa harina and toss again to coat. The masa harina will thicken sauce as chili cooks and give it a unique Mexican flavor.2) Heat a cast iron, or other heavy bottomed, Dutch oven on stove over medium heat. Add olive oil and, when it shimmers, add meat in one layer and brown it on all sides. Add lard to pan. Remove browned meat to paper toweling. Add the onions and garlic to pan and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until they start to caramelize and get soft. Add jalapenos and allow to cook for 2 more minutes until soft. Add tomato paste and sugar. Add remaining teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, oregano and 1 heaping tablespoons of chili powder. Add beer. Stir to incorporate everything. Add stewed tomatoes, and stir. Return meat to pan. Add chicken stock. Simmer for 1-1/2 hours until meat is tender. Strain liquid from black beans, add beans to Dutch oven and bring up to simmer. Add chocolate and stir until it melts. Serve immediately with toppings of choice or refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. Chili may also be frozen. Yield: 5 servings.

This recipe immediately grabbed my attention when I saw it in Google Reader. I love the modifications you've made to make it more manageable for the average person. Sounds amazing...chocolate and chili go so well together.

The first time I made Tortilla Soup I didn't have any corn tortillas to thicken it. I used a partial box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix and it worked well. Maybe this could be substituted for the masa - I don't like to buy a big bag of something to only use a small amount.

Aimee, I made this with McCormick chili powder for the blog version of the recipe. It's available to everyone. When I'm not writing for the blog, I grind and use an ancho chili. You can't go wrong with Penzey's products, but watch the heat.

Alessandra, I used regular unsweetened baking chocolate. Rather than use a sweetened product, I sweeten as necessary with sugar. This is personal preference - a bittersweet chocolate could also be used. I'm looking for depth of flavor and I think the unsweetened chocolate is the best way to get it.

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